Kerry in Jordan for Fifth Time in 5 Months

US Secretary of State John Kerry voiced confidence on Wednesday that Israeli and Palestinian leaders both wanted peace as he called for progress "as soon as we can" in moving towards talks.

After stops in Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, Kerry arrived in Jordan where he was to focus his energies on drawing Israel and the Palestinians back into direct negotiations after a hiatus of nearly three years.

On his fifth trip to the region in as many months, AFP reported, Kerry was to meet King Abdullah II in Amman before holding talks in Jerusalem with Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu on Thursday, then meeting Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas in Jordan's capital a day later.

"I wouldn't be here now if I didn't have a belief that this is possible. But it's difficult – we all know how difficult," Kerry told reporters in Kuwait shortly before taking off for Amman.